


dolphin

by leonidem



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allura is a BUFF WOMAN, Alternate Universe - College/University, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Bodyguard Allura (Voltron), Computer Graphics Major Lance (Voltron), Cuban Lance (Voltron), Cybersecurity Major Pidge | Katie Holt, Engineering Major Hunk (Voltron), F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Gay Keith (Voltron), Gen, Hawaiian Hunk (Voltron), Hunk and Pidge are childhood friends, Idol Keith (Voltron), Idol Shiro (Voltron), Indian Allura (Voltron), Japanese Shiro (Voltron), Korean Keith (Voltron), M/M, Misunderstandings, study abroad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:47:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28056390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leonidem/pseuds/leonidem
Summary: When Hunk said that they should study abroad for a year together, Lance thought he’d suggest somewhere like Italy or Sweden—somewhere that would make sense; what the hell about studying abroad in South Korea makes fucking sense?Neither of them can speak Korean, they’re not used to the climate considering they live in Florida, and he’s not even sure if he can afford it.But, Hunk already has a place for them to stay, they can attend Sejong, UCF’s sister university, with accredited classes, and as he began to learn about the culture and the art, how could he say ‘no?’Or alternatively,Lance and Hunk pack their shit to study abroad in Korea for their junior year of college. What awaits them on the other side of the world? Chaos, in the best way.
Relationships: Acxa/Veronica (Voltron), Allura/Shiro (Voltron), Hunk/Shay (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron), Minor or Background Relationship(s), Narti/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 32





	dolphin

**Author's Note:**

> I literally got this idea when I was on a bike ride with my sister. I'm super stoked to write this and yes, I know, I should be working on my kiribaku fic, but eh, it's fine. My Spanish is quite literally Google Translate so please correct me where it's needed; thank you! Anyways, I hope you like it! 
> 
> Come hangout and chat on any of my social medias:))
> 
> Twitter: @_leonidem_  
> Tumblr: @leonidem  
> Instagram: @_leonidem_  
> Tiktok: @_leonidem_

When Hunk said that they should study abroad for a year together, Lance thought he’d suggest somewhere like Italy or Sweden—somewhere that would make sense; what the hell about studying abroad in South Korea makes fucking sense?

At least 90% of Sweden speaks English. And though Italian and Spanish are two different languages, they might be able to skirt by on Lance’s guessing.

But Korean? Scratch that; _South Korea_ in general?

“So what do you think?” Hunk asks and Lance can practically see the stars gleaming in his eyes. “How about next fall semester? That way, we’ll be able to apply for scholarships and save up for expenses!”

God, he’s so fucking excited.

“Uh, well—”

“And we can learn some of the language and culture so we’re not complete morons!”

“I mean—”

“Plus, I start trying to make different Korean dishes so that our stomachs will be somewhat accustomed to the cuisine’s punch and—”

“Hunk!” Lance exclaims.

Hunk instantly snaps his mouth shut and fixes Lance with a raised eyebrows and a hopeful expression.

“Slow down, and breath,” Lance chuckles, patting Hunk’s shoulder from across the table at the café they’re sat in. Hunk takes a couple of deep breathes as instructed; however, the excitement has yet to fade from the sparkle in his eyes.

“Sorry, man, I just—I know you were talking about how you wanted to study abroad, but the tuition was worrying you. So I talked with the advisor and the lady said that South Korea was one of the most cost efficient places to study abroad! And I thought, ‘Okay, okay, cool; that’s a plus, but how much?’ And, dude, guess what? She said that if we’re chosen to be exchange students, all of our financial aid and scholarships apply!”

Damn, he really did a lot of research, too. How long has he been thinking about this? Lance doesn’t remember him talking about studying abroad for a while now. He thought maybe the interest had faded, so he hadn’t said anything.

“I mean, that’s great, but, like, _why_ South Korea? Like, what made you think, ‘Oh, yeah, Lance and I should totally fly to the other side of the world to study engineering and computer animation?” Lance questions.

“You know my friend who I video call maybe four-ish times a week? Pidge? I’ve known her since we were in middle school and she moved to live over there with her family when her dad and brother were offered jobs at Samsung. She said that we could rent a place together from a family friend if we wanted, which would save us a lot of money,” Hunk reveals, raising his eyebrows up and down suggestively, tempting.

And, truthfully, Lance is being tempted. 

“Look,” Hunk says as he pulls out his phone with the maps app open, “Pidge goes to Hanyang University which is literally a 15-to-20-minute bus ride from our sister university, Sejong. She doesn’t live in the dorms, and she wants to move out of her parent’s place—it’s perfect!”

Admittedly, part of him was onboard with the whole idea, but the skeptical part of him is telling him that this is all _too_ perfect. It’s too easy. There must be a catch, a detail he’s not seeing, or something.

“Yeah, seems too perfect,” Lance mumbles suspiciously before sipping on his hot chocolate. Yes, he’s aware of how blistering hot it is outside, but hot chocolate is always an exception to the season. Sometimes, it just tastes better during Christmas. That’s all.

Hunk sighs, exasperated. “Lance, wouldn’t it be amazing to be able to write on your resume that you studied _in South Korea **and** on top of that, at one of the most renown, prestigious computer graphics and animation schools in **the world**_? You can’t tell me it wouldn’t look fantastic.”

Lance stares at Hunk, disbelief evidently etched on his face. What in gay hell is going on here? Isn’t it normally _Lance_ who goads and pries into Hunk? He can’t decide if he should be proud or horrified. He’ll figure it out later.

“C’mon, man, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to study at Sejong, and we can go together, too,” Hunk reminds. “You can also meet Pidge! It’s been _years_ since I’ve seen her, and she gets to meet my best friend. It’s a win, win.”

Lance’s heart melts at Hunk claiming him as his best friend, a feeling he reciprocates wholeheartedly, but he’s going to need time to think and mull over all this new information. His eyes wander to the busy streets of Orlando in the fall. The sun’s heat is scorching no doubt, and it’s bright. Tourists crowd the streets, and the streets roar with traffic. He’s used to the city—well, he’s used to Orlando. He’s spent a countless number of summers on the shores of the sunshine state, and those memories trigger other cherished memories of spending his childhood in Panama City or even Gulf Shores when they would visit his tía and tío in Alabama. Moving to Florida from his home in Cuba wasn’t as difficult as he’d thought. Lance and his family lived in Cuba until he was six. They moved to Texas for a year for his papí’s work, and eventually, moved to Orlando when he was reassigned again. His mother returned to Cuba after his death to be closer to his A He’ll need to call his mamí and crunch numbers. No, he can’t rely on her for everything; he’ll figure it out and—

“Lance?” Hunk’s voice cuts through his racing thoughts, bringing him back. He’s looking at him with worry, guilt even casting a shadow over his face, “Hey, Buddy, I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to overwhelm you or anything. You totally don’t have to make a decision now, obviously. Take your time. I just thought I’d tell you now so that we could move forward or kill the idea if you weren’t—”

Right, he needs to breathe.

“No, no, no, Hunk, it’s okay,” Lance promises. “I’m just…trying to think about the best way to tackle this. I’d actually _really like_ to go with you, but I, um, I’ll need time to….”

Of course, Hunk, the blessing to humanity that he is, reassures him many, many times that it’s more than okay that he takes his time to assess and think about the best course of action for his junior year of university.

It takes a couple of months ruminating, pondering, before he finally began planning. He spends hours on the phone with his family, asking and debating.

_“Mijo, haven’t you taken notice?” His mamí asked one night. He can practically see her smiling at him both in disbelief and love. A look he often received when he was being ‘an oblivious moron’ as Ronnie liked to call him._

_Still, Lance is taken back, and he doesn’t understand what she’s implying._

_When Maria is met with silence she sighs fondly and giggles a little. “You’re the only one who’s not entirely on board with leaving.”_

_“¿Como puedo ser?¿No ver a mi familia durante unos meses versus no ver a mi familia durante casi un ano, es un salto, no crees?”_

_His mamí has the_ audacity _to laugh at him._

_“¿Dónde está tu sentido de la aventura? Por supuesto que te extrañaremos, pero también te extrañaremos cuando te mudes a una gran ciudad para trabajar en proyectos aún más grandes._ _Cariño, si te preocupa el dinero, estaremos bien. Su papá tenía cuentas de ahorro para que todos ustedes fueran a la universidad._ _Creo que deberías irte,” she encourages. “¡Deja de pensar demasiado y vete! Experimente algo nuevo e inolvidable. ¡Crea recuerdos! ¡Enamórate de una chica del otro lado del mar!”_

_He’s not sure she’s entirely joking on that last bit like her tone implies, but some of his anxieties are quenched after hearing that she supports him—wants him to go, even._

_It relieves him._

_Still, he feels that if he leaves, she’ll be by herself with the twins and Valentina. What if she needs help and he’s not there in four hours like he normally could be? Sure, the neighbors are good family friends of theirs, and they would take care of her until Marco or Ronnie could get there, but it still sets him on edge._

_“Mijo, please don’t tell me I’m the reason you’re holding back,” she sighs._

_“What? No! You’re not—that’s not the reason I’m…,” He lets out a heavy sigh of his own. “Mamí, I know you’re okay, really, I do. But there’s always the thought at the back of my head, looming and whispering ‘what if’s in my ear. What if Mamí gets hurt and you’re not there? What if the twins or Valentina need me, and I can’t come because I’m literally on the other side of the fucking world?” He tries to breathe out a steady huff, willing himself to keep the tears at bay and his emotions in line while he’s on the phone. “If I leave, who’s to say the worst won’t have happened when I finally get back?”_

_There’s a beat of silence before he hears her chuckling in his ear, and he blinks back a few tears threatening to fall from his eyes._

_“You know, Mijo, you worry like your father used to. Mucha. ¿No crees en mi? Planeo estar aquí muchos, muchos años, Lance. No quiero ser la razón por la que te pierdas una oportunidad tan increíble como esta. Si te pasas la vida preocupándote, se te pasará por alto en un abrir y cerrar de ojos._ _Cariño_ _te amo y quiero que veas el mundo si puedes hacerlo.”_

_He never thought of it that way, but if he had, he might’ve completely disregarded it had he thought of it on his own._

_Lance breathes in and out through his nose deeply before mumbling into the receiver, “Gracias, Mamí. Te amo.”_

_He lets silent tears stream down his face before he takes another deep breath and wipes away the mess of snot and tears. Lance bids her goodnight, finally coming to peace with wanting to pursue his education abroad._

Hunk hugs him so tight when he asks to meet with the university’s study abroad advisor to ask questions of his own. Sitting in Mrs. Miller’s office Lance finds out that he and Hunk would leave for the fall semester mid-August which will give him them roughly two weeks to get settled and familiarize themselves with the area. He can feel the excitement rolling off Hunk in waves, and admittedly, it’s contagious.

Lance learns that he can stack scholarships. With this newfound knowledge, he and Hunk spend days researching and applying for any and every scholarship they manage to find. Fortunately, he receives enough money in bursaries to cover a meal plan, rent for a few months, and a couple of excursions, which is something he can work with. As he and Hunk do more research on the language, Lance finds that it’s more difficult than he thought, but fuck it, he’s going to learn hangul, dammit.

He’s been working since he was fifteen, and he has some money stashed in his savings that he’s continued to put money into while he’s worked. It’s come in handy the few times he’s had to cop up something on the spot for a couple of emergencies, but it’s not going to be enough to sustain or support him while he’s abroad. So, he opens another account specifically for expenses he’ll need to cover abroad and applies to be a Spanish tutor during his free time. He gets paid $45 bucks and hour and combined with his job at Target, he’s more confident that he can save up enough to support himself while he’s there.

His workload only gets heavier and with exams, as well as so many projects for all his major, along with work, it’s one of the most stressful times in his life. He can’t count how many times he and Hunk would work on school projects or study for tests until the ungodly hours of the morning. Sometimes, he’d stop by the restaurant Hunk cooked at to bring him a red bull or a monster. Whichever was cheapest. Likewise, Hunk would make dinner and bring it to Lance when he had the time.

He really doesn’t think that he could have managed it without Hunk. Once again, Hunk Garrett: a true blessing to humanity. A saint.

It’s right before Christmas break that they get the emails telling them that they’ve been chosen to participate in the exchange program with Sejong. He and Hunk scream so loud their throats become raw and sore for a few days. Lance calls his mamí, and she squeals in excitement. She tells him over and over again about how _proud_ she is of him—how she knows his papí is dancing on clouds as he watches his son flourish and bloom into someone he’s undoubtedly proud of. Veronica video calls him as soon as he sends the text, and she’s basically vibrating with enthusiasm and pride. Marco is clearly impressed, he could tell by his tone, but happy for him, nonetheless. Rachel cries a little, but she tries to hide it from her. Even so, he heard her sniffle a few times and a few coworkers passing by ask her if she was okay.

Hunk is ecstatic to try and recreate traditional Korean recipes while Lance delves into the history of Korean art, and instantly falls in love with how breathtaking and confounding the evolution of it all is. And as they study to understand the country they’ll be calling home for a year, their zest grows.

As he sits with Hunk waiting in the airport of Atlanta, their first step in the newest chapter of their life, he feels the anxiety bubbling in his stomach. It’s surreal.

He can’t find it within him to be tired—he’ll sleep when his body drops from exhaustion.

Right now, the announcer is telling him it’s time to board his flight.


End file.
